The present invention relates generally to an assembly for positioning a sensor in a body having an environment contained therein, and more particularly to an assembly for use with a sensor of a variety including an elongate terminal portion receivable through a wall of the body which assembly allows the sensor to be positioned at a select angular orientation.
Sensors are used in a variety of manufacturing and process applications to measure and control such parameters as fluid flow rate, pressure, temperature, displacement or distance, velocity, and acceleration. Within these applications, sensors typically are provided to supply an analog or digital output signal proportional to the parameter being measured. For that purpose, sensors may be constructed as having a signal processor or other electronics contained within one end of a housing, and a transducer or other sensing device contained within the other end which may be configured as an elongate probe. The installation of sensors of such type involves receiving the probe end thereof through an opening provided within a wall of a pipe, manifold, vessel, housing, or other body for the disposition of the sensing device in sensing contact with an environment contained within the body. The sensor processing end is disposed externally of the body for connection via a cable or the like to a data collector or controller, and in this regard is configured as having a threaded pin or other connector.
Sensors and mounting arrangements thereof are further described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,245,815; 4,576,049; 4,858,470; 4,922,754; 4,942,763; 5,015,194; 5,095,517; 5,228,338; 5,253,520; and 5,528,941. A commercial flow sensor of the type herein involved is marketed under the designation FCS-G1/4 by Turck, Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.).
In a conventional mounting arrangement, the opening of the body wall is internally-threaded for a threaded engagement with an externally-threaded portion of the sensor probe end. With such an arrangement, however, the angular orientation of the probe is randomly determined as dependent upon the depth of the threads in the body opening and the extent to which the probe is engaged with those threads. Accordingly, situations arise wherein the orientation of the processing end connector is disposed at an inconvenient angular position which complicates the cable connection and, in the case of a bank of sensor, leads to non-parallel line runs which are disfavored for aesthetic reasons. The random angular positioning of the sensor, moreover, makes it difficult to control both the exposure and orientation of the probe end within the environment and, as a result, can deleteriously affect the sensitivity of the sensor.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that improved sensor mounting arrangements would be well-received by industry. Particularly, there exists a need for an improved mounting arrangement in applications involving flow sensors dictating a preferred probe radial orientation and/or axial exposure extent.
The present invention is directed broadly to a positioning assembly for positioning a sensor in a body having an environment contained therein, and more particularly to a positioning assembly for use with a sensor of a variety including an elongate terminal portion with a probe end receivable through a wall of the body. In accordance with the precepts of the present invention, such assembly allows the sensor to be positioned at select angular orientations facilitating electrical and other connections. When employed, for example, in conjunction with flow sensors having a specified radial orientation and/or axial exposure extent, such assembly, moreover, allows the sensor to be positioned for optimal sensitivity.
In basic construction, the positioning assembly of present invention includes a generally-annular adapter and an associated, generally-angular fastening member. The adapter is provided as extending intermediate an upper first end and a lower second end, and further as having an inner surface configured for a threaded engagement with the externally-threaded terminal portion of the sensor, and an outer surface including a bearing portion. The annular fastening member has an inner surface receivable coaxially over the outer surface of the adapter member and an outer surface configured for a threaded engagement an opening formed within a wall of the body. With the fastening member being received over the adapter and the adapter being threadably engaged with the sensor terminal portion, the fastening member is threadably engagable with the body wall opening for movement into an abutting, force-transmitting contact with the bearing portion of the adapter. Such contact urges the second end of the adapter member into a compressive and, preferably, fluid-tight sealing engagement with an axial surface of the body wall opening and thereby positions the sensor at a select angular orientation. Prior to the compressive engagement of the adapter member with the opening axial surface, however, the sensor is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof for its positioning at the selected angular orientation. In this way, the sensor may be positioned for reasons of aesthetics or performance at any angular orientation from 0xc2x0 to 360xc2x0 with sealing contact with the body being maintained.
Advantageously, the positioning assembly of the present invention also comprehends that the assembly adapter member may be sized to extend intermediate the first and second ends thereof to define a predetermined length. Such length may be varied for controlling the axial extent of the sensor probe end within the body environment without the need to reconfigure the sensor or body wall opening.
The present invention, accordingly, comprises the apparatus and method possessing the construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts and steps which are exemplified in the detailed disclosure to follow. Advantages of the invention includes a sensor positioning assembly which allows the sensor to be positioned at select angular orientations for facilitating electrical or other connections with a connector of the sensor, and/or for the facing the probe end thereof in any direction which may be specified by the sensor manufacturer. Additional advantages include an adapter which may be dimensioned to control the exposure of the sensor probe end within the working environment as also may be specified by the sensor manufacturer to ensure optimal sensitivity. These and other advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based upon the disclosure contained herein.